Every organization has a culture. The question is, are you intentional about the culture? Our guest on the show today is Lena Requist, President of Ontraport. They have about 100 employees and have been intentional about making it a remarkable place to work. Ontraport has been recognized by many different groups for ” the best place to work” and “the best place for millennials to work.” Listen in for Lena’s recipe on culture so that you can use it to develop your own award winning culture. This is part 1 of 2. Check next week’s show for part 2.

Creating a culture in your business is about…

Sharing values. It must feel personal for every person. This is what makes it a win- win environment and why staff loves to work at Ontraport.

What do you measure that allows you to know you are on the right track?

Lena shares that an engagement survey is provided 2x per year. It is used as an internal tool for management. They utilize survey monkey in an anonymous fashion so they don’t know who is saying what. Results are always shared with the staff because the feedback is always strong and indicative of what is going on. This provides management with the next opportunity for improvement towards the organization. Survey Monkey is $25 per month and there is also a free version.

“Ontraport is Best Place for Millennials”

According to Fortune.com, Ontroport provides the best working environment for those under the age of 28. Why? Ontraport is aware that this age group is fickle and even hard to retain. 60% of the staff are comprised of that age group. There’s a coaching style to leadership at Ontraport that encourages staff to think for themselves. Rather than “tell” them what to do, leaders ask staff to come up with at least 3 solutions to every obstacle. This is about OWNING your results!

Practical and Actionable:

So, what’s the recipe for having a great culture?
Strong Leadership. The Leader needs to decide: What is this business about? The WHY. What’s the impact? This makes it clear for all. Also, what’s the future you’re trying to contribute to? What’s the mission? Look out to 5 years from now. This determines clear values for the mission. Keep it simple by identifying 3-5 values. This makes it easy to remember for everyone. You will see that people start showing up in a different way. And this is not just limited to potential/current employees, but includes investors and beyond!

Resources and Links

Do you have questions about today’s episode!?

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